Halloweentown (1998)

13-year-old Marnie Piper (Kimberly J. Brown) is sulking because she’s forbidden to join friends for Trick or Treat at Halloween. Her bookworm brother Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) would rather watch a nature show on TV, but 4-year-old Sophie (Emily Roeske) wants to join the fun.

Their widowed mother, Gwen (Judith Hoag), is a retired witch who gave up her craft to live as a mortal and now tries to shield her children from her past.

Grandma Aggie (66-year-old Debbie Reynolds, clearly having a ball as the old eccentric witch) visits and warns Gwen that Marnie must begin her witch training or lose her powers forever.

She tries to persuade her daughter to return to Halloweentown – a haven for monsters, trolls, vampires and warlocks – to help fight off the evil force that is turning the residents into hateful ghouls.

Overhearing the grown-ups’ conversation, the children realise they have magical powers and decide to help their grandmother.

That night, they run off to the land of good monsters, where they encounter a skeleton cab river (voiced by Rino Romano), a giant jack-o’-lantern and a warlock mayor (Jim Becker).

Finally, Gwen decides to join the fight to save her hometown. Unfortunately, both she and her mother are frozen by the Shadow Creature, leaving it to the children to save Halloweentown.

Filmed in St. Helens, Oregon, this made-for-TV Disney movie is full of topical (for the time) humour and whimsical touches, including a demon who fails to impress teenagers because they’ve already seen it on Jerry Springer.

Reynolds and Gwen Cromwell Piper reprised their roles in the subsequent telemovies, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge (2001), Halloweentown High (2004), and Return to Halloweentown (2006).

Debbie Reynolds died on 28 December 2016, at the age of 84.

Agatha “Aggie” Cromwell
Debbie Reynolds
Marnie Piper
Kimberly J. Brown
Gwen Cromwell Piper
Judith Hoag
Dylan Piper
Joey Zimmerman
Luke
Phillip Van Dyke
Sophie Piper
Emily Roeske
Kalabar
Robin Thomas
Aerobics Instructor
Shannon Day
Dentist
J.W. Crawford
Frankenstein
Nurmi Husa
Ghost
Johnny Useldinger
Goblin
Vincent Gambino
Harriet
Judith M. Ford
Hip-Sales-Creature
Kenneth Choi
Pincushin-Secretary
Michele Mariana
Two-Headed Man
Hank Cartwright (1)
Todd Tolces (2)
Vampire Patient
Sherilyn Lawson
Witch #1
V. Jude Hill
Witch #2
George A. Keller
Wolfie
Michael Patrick Egan
Benny (voice)
Rino Romano
The Mayor
Jim Becker
William Piper
Mark Everest
Gargoyle/Drummer Boy
Brian Landon
Vampire Mother
Betty Moyer

Director
Duwayne Dunham